Light-treatment process



Patented July 10, 1928.

GEORGE SPERTI, F COVINGTON, KENTUCKY; ROBERT J. NORRIS, or GEEENVIL E,AND

ROBERT B. WITHRQW ANn HERMAN SCHNEIDER, OF 'cINcINNA'rI, omo, As-SIGNORS T0 DANIEL LAURENCE, TRUSTEE, OF cI cINNA'I- OHIO.

LIGHT-T EATME T rRocEss.

Nc- Drawing.

Ouninvention relates to processes of destroying bacteriologicalimpurlties 1n enzymes or other sensitive organic bodles,

without destroying the enzymes or bodies of solution.

themselves. It has broader-applications to difiercntial treatment ofvarious* organic mixtures, solutions or compounds, whereby certain partsor molecular constituents of the organic material are destructivelytreated or activated without destruction or activation of other parts.

The basic development involves a discovery which we have made that maybe graphically explained as follows: Let it beassumed that a suitablesupport is provided, and a substance spread in a band across thesupport, preferably in .a light transmitting solution, say in purewater.

Then bymeans of a suitable difraction grating or otherwise impose acomplete spectrum of light so as to coincide with the band It will thenbe found that either within the visible or the ultra violet or infra redportion of the spectrum, the substance will exhibit a change. Thediscovery lies in the fact that this change will exhibit itself ashaving a very distinct beginningpoint, so

that it appears that certain portions of the spectrum of light (thecommercial adaptations of the principle naturally lying mainly in theultra violet range), will have an effect on the substance, while therestof the spectral band will not. It also lies in the fact that theintensity of the exposure given to the substance will not vary thisrule.

It is our object in the, present s ecification to point out theindustrial app ications of our discovery, and we will apply our in--vention to the elimination of bacteria from: solutions containing. theenzymatic sub-' stances, which may or may not have been produced by theactivity. ofthe said bacteria as a typical example indicatin a.preferred mode of cation.

In the first place, the mechanicalstruc ture used to producewave bandsof desirednature, may be provided as follows z A'quartz lamp, such asmay be purchasedfon the mar practice of genera "appli Application'filedFebruary 14, 1927. Serial No. 168,226.

ket, may be used fora light source. A filter or screen can be made up bytaking two pieces of quartz sheet and a Hat ring, and cementing thepieces of quartz on both faces of the ring, so as to form a flat quartzsheet enclosed. container. pure water of a substance known tov have adesired efiect on the spectral band, is placed into the containerorfilter bodybefore cementing the top quartz. glass on the ring. It iswell also to' protect the :solution from being affected by the ring, bypainting the ring with some inert substance.

,Thelight is projectedthrough the screen onto the solution to be actedupon.

As 'one examp e, we have referred to the killing of bacteria inenzymatic solutions.

e have found by a series of-tests, that certaln bacteria will be killedby projecting ultra violet light against them fora short period, wherethe wave "length of the light is below 2750 units.

The unit used in our wbrk is the Angstroom unit, indicated by the symbolA which representes a ray of light having a wave length of one hundredmillionth of a centimeter. The bacteria we have worked with are killedby beginning at around or below 2750". Enzymes, such as We have workedwith, are rendered inactive when treated with light rays having Wavelengths of 2420 A and shorter. Radiations of wave lengths greater than2750 A .Wlll not kill bacteria.

It thus restswith us to produce a filter which will permit 2750 A topass, but will exclude all light rays of 24.00 A and shorter, to'permitof killing the bacteria without in- We have by the use ofsuch a filterkilled.

the bacteria in a substance containing a diastatic enzyme such as may beused in the making of bread by bakers. We can also kill the gasproducingbacteria which bring about the conversion of sugars into alcohols sothat the gaseous typelof fermentation need A solution' with light raysposed. The period of treatment can be prolonged Without deleteriouseffect. The lead acetate screen may be used.- In treating a flowing filmrepeated exposures instead of prolonged exposures will be satisfactory.

We have stated as of general application to enzymatic solutionscontaining bacteria,

the rough figures of 2750 A as the upper I limit. for passage ofrays,and do not wish to be construed as representing that this figure iscompletely accurate. WVe have calculated it as closely as our filtersand other data will permit, but will base our invention herein morepositively on this, i. e., that a five per cent solution of lead acetatein a proper filter which permits light rays of all wave lengths-to passwithout apparent obstruction, will not permit rays oflight thatinactivate any enzymes with which We have experimented, from passingthrough. The action of various types of filters upon the spectral bandhave been investigated, and considerable data on this will be fo indavailable. f

It i evident thata general application of ultra violet rays will killbacteria in a light.

transmitting solution, but since this will also inactivate the enzymes,it is not practical to so treat enzyme solutions in which the enzyme isto be preserved.

As uses for our invention, we may suggest the sterihzatlon of proteincompounds used as serums, sterilization of any en-.

z'ymatic solution, inactivation of elements of delicate organiccompounds and even the fractional breaking down of inorganiccompounds.As a general rule it may be stated that the light rays short of X-raysreact on molecular arrangement of substances, while X-rays reactupon theatomic structure. Our work inlight rays thus has its greatest use, sofar as we have been able to determine, in connection with t'he delicatesubstances of organic nature of the types heretdfore mentioned.

We believe also, that portions of substances can be activated insteadofbeing inactivated, without activating undesirable portions thereof.Activation by light rays is known, but the fact. that here againtheaction is criticalfor each substance, has not been known.

to activate the vitamin, it should be possible if proper Letters Patent,is

Thus, in' treating codliver oil to select the critical band which doesthe, activating, and thus avoid any danger due to over-exposure, whichhas been found in the past to inactivate the vitamin.

The general aspects of our invention rcside in the fact that byfollowing the teachings hithertb set forth, it will be readily possible:for the investigator to use the 'v'ar1-. ous filters which areavailable, or make up new ones for himself, and he will be able byempirical results to determine what the critical wave band may be foranysubstance with which he is endeavoring to work, and for the elementsthat make it up. As stated there are fairly well worked out filte rs,an

by trying one after the other on any substance its critical ran e can bedetermined. I

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecureqb'y 1. That process for difi'trentially} aflfecting substances bymeans of rays of light, which consists intreatin said substancesconfining the action to those portions which nit is desired to treat.

2. That process for killing bacteria in chemical compounds which will beaffected 'with lightfrom which. hasheen filtered those I l.dcleteriously by heat and unscreened ultra violet light, which consistsin treating the compounds with light from which has been filtered thatportion which affects the chemical compounds, leaving that portion whichkills the bacteria.

3. That process for killing bacteria in an enzymatic solution, whichconsists in treating the solution with raysof light from which have beenfiltered those. rays which affect the enzymatic portion, but notfiltering therefrom those rays which kill bacteria.

4. That process for killing bacteria in solutions, which consists intreating the solution with rays of light from which have been filteredthose rayswhich act 'upon desiredtherefrom'thebacteria killing rays. e

5. That process {or killing bacteria in solutions, whichcon'sists intreating the soluelements in the solutions, but not filtering 'tionswith light from which has been filtered those rays which areeliminatedby aglead,

acetate screen.

6. That roccss; for killing bacteria in solutions, w ich consists intreating the solu" tions withli ht from which has been filtered thoserays length.

aving shorter .than .2750 I '1. That process for killing bacteria insolutions containing enzymes/which consists in-,trc ating. the solutionswith light' from which wave lengths shorter have been eliminated;

8.That process for diflerentially aflecting organic substances having aplurality than 2750 A emme of ingredients by means of rays of light, thecritical spectral band which reacts upon which consists in treating saidsubstances said substance, and confining the light treatwith apredetermined spectral band of light ment to said critical band.

to the exlusion of others, said. predetermined 5 band having an effecton a part only of the HERMAN SCHNEIDER.

ingredients of said organic substances. GEORGE SPERTI.

9. That process for treating substances ROBERT B. WITH'ROW.

with light rays, which consists in selecting ROBERT-J. NORRIS.

